Since the onset of hunting, hunters have sought ways to sneak up on or ambush their prey. Whether hiding behind a tree, curled up in a blind or dressing to blend in with the environment, hunters continue to seek ways to lure in a prey. In the field of fowl hunting, the use of decoys and calls have become common place in typical hunting excursions.
Waterfowl hunting is the practice of hunting ducks, geese or other waterfowl for sport, food, feathers, etc. Waterfowl can be hunted in crop fields where they feed, or, more frequently, on or near bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps, sloughs, or oceanic coastlines. One proliferate hunting technique that has been used throughout the years is the employment of decoys.
The use of stagnant decoys to attract animals is well known in the various fields of hunting, but, in recent years the use of motion decoys have grown in popularity. Motion decoys are decoys that include some level of that is designed to more effectively attract prey. This is true for many different species of animals, including fowl. A common motion decoy design for fowl that has been used by hunters is to attach a line to a decoy and then to use the line to move the decoy. The moving decoy may be more noticeable than a motionless decoy to birds flying by at a distance.
Other motion decoys use a line and an anchor. The line is attached between the decoy and the anchor and the anchor is dropped into the water. The decoy then moves around within the range of the line, in response to the wind and water currents.
Another relatively simple motion decoy is the flag decoy. These decoys are simple fowl-shaped flags that are affixed to the top of a pole. The fowl-shaped flag is then waved, either by the user or by a breeze, to attract birds from a distance. However, as the birds approach the fowl-shaped flag, the flag and pole must be laid down since the motion does not provide the realism necessary to attract birds in close proximity to the outdoorsman. Other motion decoys have been developed that include spinning wings, moving heads, flapping wings, etc. Yet another motion decoy includes a duck that utilizes a bilge pump the thrust water and cause the decoy to appear to swim. The decoy is typically tethered to a battery and thus, the tether line provides the power to control the bilge pump, serves as a range limit on the motion and the battery operates as an anchor to help maintain a central location for the decoy.
Many other designs and attempts have been deployed in the decoy field but, there is still a need in the art for a decoy that is more realistic and more convenient for the hunter. The present disclosure presents embodiments directed towards these needs in the art as well as providing other advantageous features.